Confused

[Angela(NZ)]

Morning

Yesterday i finally was able to have a gloucose tolerence test, i had a call from the nurse at my doctors surgery who advised im pre-diabetic, she basically said to eat a healthy diet and didnt give me any further info - so now im really confused! does being pre-diabetic mean that i will get diabetes?
or can i keep going as i am eating low carb, low gi and doing plenty of exercise?
and just hope that i dont get full diabetes.....

Thanks!

 

[pianoman]

Hi Angela. How frustrating! Yes they have these cut-off values which are used to determine the diagnosis.

Pre-Diabetes, to me at least, does mean that you are heading towards full-blown diabetes -- although arguably it is a bit like saying "you're just a bit pregnant".

The good news is that this is a golden opportunity to step up, be proactive and stop this thing in its tracks. Please don't take it a sign to relax and wait till things get worse.

I think about it like a dam holding back dangerously rising water levels, while hairline cracks are starting to appear on the dam wall. It is far easier to lower the water pressure and shore up that dam BEFORE it bursts... if you act now, there is every chance that the **** will never burst.

I'd say that what you eat and how physically active (on a regular basis) you are, will be the major keys. And physically active does not have to mean the gym (unless you like to) but regular walking, taking the stairs etc...

Diet/food-wise I'd suggest using a BG meter before and 2 hours after each meal, plus keeping a food diary to determine which foods have the biggest effect on your BGs. For me that means I eat a low-carb/high-fat diet... real whole food with minimal processing -- you may find differently.

You are your own best advocate and knowledge is power.

Good luck.

 

[hallii]

Hello Angela, I have to say in my book there is no such thing as Pre-Diabetic, you either handle sugars normally or you don't, and in your case they are saying that you don't. So you are T2 and really need to start managing it.

Probably your carb counting and excercise have helped to bring your Bgs down, so whilst the advice you have been given is good advice for someone who is eating a poor diet and does not excercise, for you it's like saying "carry on".

You really need to know what the test result figures are, only then can you make a judgement about your health. I really get annoyed when HCPs simply say something like " It's all OK" or "Nothing to worry about" when what I really want is some firm figures and I can make up my own mind.
So ask for the figures, do another post when you have them, and then you will get some more advice based on facts.

H